True or False: It only costs $100 to join Mary Kay

To become a Mary Kay Consultant, you must sign an agreement and pay $100 for your “starter kit.”

However, in order to stay “active,” you must place a $200 wholesale product order with the company every three months.

Now, it makes sense that you can’t just sign up and never place a product order. That would be silly, since the whole point is to sell the product. And it makes sense that in order to be considered a Consultant that you would have to order certain minimums to be able to represent the products.

What doesn’t make sense is the big presentation on “initial inventory packages” that comes after one has signed the agreement, and the sudden push by your Director to start your Mary Kay venture with hundreds, even thousands, of dollars worth of inventory.

The problem is that in my observation and experience, Directors almost always emphasized the $100 starting figure and never mentioned what came after that: a hard push to buy an “initial inventory package.”

Many women know nothing of the impending “Inventory Interview” they will be subjected to once they join MK and many current consultants feel guilty recruiting women with what they feel is only half of the story.

Comments

I dont believe I have misread anything. Arent we talking about the business world? whats the point of being in business without making money. DUH Whether its for myself or corporate america? I do facials the same way everyone else does… at a kitchen table. I work hard. I promote myself everywhere I go. oh and guess what , my initial order w/ the company was for $150. My first sale at a masage party.
No one ever pushed me to open credit or go into debt. Its all about who you work ith. I believe in the golden rule/ ethics. I never lie, or cheat anyone. I stand by the product and company 100%. Its a shame you feel you were cheated out of a great opportunity.
You make what you want out of life. If you didnt like MK its better that your not in it.

I don’t know. That’s what a lot of women were trying to figure out about their MK businesses. They worked hard and did everything their director and the company did and still were seeing the fantastic results they were told of.

Massage & MK…if you’re happy, so be it. And if you were encouraged to order a large initial inventory, then someone wasn’t doing their recruiting job right.

Its a shame you feel you were cheated out of a great opportunity.

This sentence unfortunately still tells me you don’t get it. The MK “opportunity” is a bogus illusion that makes money only for the company, who continues the pile on the “Golden Rule” talk and throw out Mary Kay Ash quotes willy nilly to make everyone think that they are somehow running the business out of the goodness of the hearts.

If you REALLY think that MK is all they present, then you may want to talk to the dozens of women they are suing, apparently baseless, bullying lawsuits from what I’ve seen.

Women liked MK, maybe just like you do, until they started opening their eyes and seeing what’s really going on.

This has been some very interesting reading for me. I have read it all and had time to reflect. All I can speak from is my own experience, and, yes, maybe there are some directors out there who do not push, push, push you to order and recruit, but my question for that is How are they making money and How are they remaining directors? My director is someone that I thought had hung the moon. I still like her a lot. She is a great Christian woman. However, I know they are “programmed” to push us.

My husband has been out of work for a year. Times have been tough. I told her that we were at the end of our money (savings, credit cards, retirement, etc.) and you want to know what she told me? You need to FIND that money…NO I needed to pay my debts and feed my family. What is wrong with this picture–a company that rewards you for how much you ORDER? I have always wondered about that. Why should people be rewarded for wholesale orders? Anyone can order $4,000, $6,000 etc of MK but my question is WHAT ARE THEY DOING WITH IT??? So someone who has more “accessible” money wins over me because I don’t have the money to place a big order. Then, what do you get, a pair of earrings that cost the company maybe $5? Sorry…

I have been in MK for almost 9 years. About 6 of it has been personal use. I like the products. I went back to selling because my family needed the extra income. I loved the company until I saw how I was drowning. I wanted to throw up every time I saw the product on my shelf because I was in debt for it! Since times were so hard, we only had one car and do you know what my director suggested? That I RENT a car to do my classes!!!! If I could afford to rent a car, I would buy one!

Also, another thing that bothered me was when I was trying to recruit people, I was told not to mention “inventory”. Now, that’s just wrong. So many of the women that I have seen get into Mary Kay were getting in hoping to find a way for their families to better themselves, not get further into debt. The company doesn’t care if you sell the product, they just want you to have it on your shelf! Of course, if you sell it, that’s great because you will order more!!!! This STAR consultant thing is for the birds!

One other thing that happened that really ticked me of was this–my adopted director who was helping me out when we moved–told us at a meeting to not waste our time on the women who didn’t look like they had expendable income. Don’t waste your time, she said…you want the sharp looking women who can afford to buy from you and who would make good IBC’s themselves! Well, even in my hardest times, I needed my cleanser, moisturizer, etc. That was just plain rude and judgmental on her part.

Yes, I once loved the company and I still respect Mary Kay herself. However, I think the principles that the company was founded on went to hell in a handbag when MK herself could no longer run the company. IMHO. We all have and are entitled to our opinions.

Anyone who uses their head and makes their own inventory choices, for the right reasons, then you are the smart one. You can work the company but don’t let the company work you. Good luck. Just use your head!

Taxing shipping and handling is what little loser companies do, in my opinion. It signals to me that they are grabbing for every penny.

I placed an order with a company and they charged tax based on the order amount plus the s&h and I called them to complain and they said that the state where I live requires it. Now, as someone who has had a sales tax license in my state for years and done more than my share of shipping, I know they’re full of it.

browneyes, sadly many MLM’s charge taxes on shipping & handling. IMHO, MK is going to make a buck however they can. Everything they do is geared to making money from the consultant and adding to her costs for doing business.

MK Corp doesn’t care about you or your business, they only care about their “bottom line”.

I’m like you I believe Mary Kay Ash never intended for her company to go this route, but she is gone and now greed is the name of the game.

Yes, most of us were consultants, before we saw the lies and deception in MK. And we get so tired of those of you who are still in the “pink fog” and accepting everything your SD tells you absolute truth.

Since you have made some rather disparaging comments and assumptions about us not working or just waiting for business handed to us, I will correct you and tell you that we all worked our busineses very hard, some of us were IBC’s, some SD’s , some Red Jackets, but we all realized that MK is not designed to make anybody money but them and they don’t expect you to put God 1st, family 2nd and career 3rd. To make any money you must work your business almost 24/7 and be willing to misrepresent the opportunity and frontload your recruits with a huge inventory. when you add up all the hours you work to “make” your money you often realize that you are working for less than minimum wage and the expenses are much higher than your profit!

Stick around and read the stories of many women who have been where you are at one time and find out the “real truth” about MK before you end up with credit card debt, and broken marriages or your children are all grown up and you have missed many of their “achievements” and activities!

There is something to be said for an honest day’s work, regular paycheck, benefits, paid vacation and really “free” training!

It’s the same old spoon fed response every time. SD’s must be feeding this “lazy looser” stuff by the barrel to IBC’s. It’s the ONLY response they have to the truth (which is negative) and we all know you can’t address anything negative in MK!

I would ask each IBC to review what are YOUR personal goals? Not those set by the SD, not what “you have been challenged” (lol) to do, but the honest to goodness goals that would accomplish what YOU actually want? If you are working within this guide, then best of luck! If you are not, then please re-evaluate YOUR situation!

I see a lot of people writing comments on here that makes them willing to be a victim in life. It’s really easy to criticize ANY business, company, or individual. In fact, were I a negative person who wanted to be a victim, and say, “that’s just the way life is” “nothing is that easy” “you can never be happy AND make money AND watch your dreams come true” I could easily look at any career (Mary Kay or no) and dissect it into tiny chunks to be served with pate.

I have met many successful Mary Kay consultants, and I have met many unsuccessful Mary Kay consultants. This is not different than any other industry (and I’m sure you can come up with an example of a successful vs unsuccessful server in a restaurant, or stylist in a salon).

What I do know is that more than half of the unsuccessful Beauty Consultants I have met have admitted that the reason they were not more successful is that they were not working as hard as they needed to… and they further comment that they know if they get back on track and follow the marketing plan, they can be successful.

There are a few I have met who say they were promised success, and the company didn’t deliver. Funny, some of us were in the same room together when we were recruited, but no one promised me anything… so I don’t know what speech they were listening to.

I’m quite happy with my Mary Kay business (and I do consider it a business, but you are welcome to your own opinions) and I am going to amp it up shortly & be driving a beautiful new car by Christmas.

Mary Kay has been around for more than 40 years, and it will conitnue to grow (in more than 37 countries around the world, as a matter of fact! Wahoo!). If it was SUCH a horrible company with no opportunity for people, I doubt it would even have lasted 10 years.

But once again, everyone is entitled to their own opnions. Everyone is entitled to live their live in the way they choose, radiating the feelings they choose.

I choose optimism, success, joy, and seeking the good in others. What do you choose? I mean, even if you tried Mary Kay and didn’t like it, or whatever, what are you choosing to do now to make a positive difference in the world around you? I hope you are doing something you love to do, whatever it is.

Any rate, comment whatever you’d like about my two-bits here. I won’t be reading it, as I won’t be signing in again to this… forum? Once again, I’d rather focus on the positive than gripe about everything else…

TNT….you’ve proven one thing to us, you know the MK scripts very well. Keep on drinking the pink koolaid, but beware when you decide to AMP up your business and try to earn the use of a car, that you must keep up the same momentum month after month or you’ll be making your own payments at a higher rate than you would have if you went out and leased your own car. At least if you lease/buy your own car you get to choose the make, model and color. The “free” insurance will cost you more per month than you are paying now too, if you fail to maintain the minimums.

I sincerely hope you don’t fall into the usual MK trap of “finishing ” your own needed production just to get in the car. Those tactics will lead you into the path of finishing out your own DIQ production to become a SD and then to meet your monthly minimum in wholesale production each month to remain a SD. What becomes a once in a lifetime purchase soon becomes the norm unless you can find more unsuspecting women to join MK and frontload them with large inventory orders. Either way it’s not a very ethical or moral way to achieve a goal is it?

Just remember if you order product that you haven’t sold, it will turn into a huge pile of unsold product and a huge load of debt.

TNT, I forgot to add that I hope that your curiosity brings you back to this site, just to see what the “negative nellies” have to say. We’ll be the only ones to warn you of the dangers along the way to earning your car and becoming a SD.

what are you choosing to do now to make a positive difference in the world around you? …TNT

The single most important thing I am doing to make a postive difference in this world, right now is to post on this forum and warn of the inherent dangers in MK. If one woman is aware of the pitfalls and avoids debt, saves a marriage, or lives a life full of time to spend with her family and her friends, then I will be happy!

Thank you LJ for creating this wonderful site of healing with the opportunity to shine a light on and lead women away from the sharp, treacherous rocks hidden among the “opportunities” of the MK business that can and will surely “sink your ship” and “drown your dreams”.

Well, I have to say I have been researching mary kay and I have decided I will join but I will never attend any meeting whatsoever, accept any “free” gifts, nor recruit anyone..I will also only make a 200.00 inventory so I can be active..Those ladies won’t use the pink fogg machine to cloud my morals ..I’m happy with the 50% earned on everything sold…by the way..is there a minimum I have to sell in order to make 50%??

Emily…that’s the biggest thing they don’t tell you. They don’t care how much you SELL, they onlycare how much YOU BUY!

You must place a minimum $400 retail, which is $200 wholesale for you + $8.95 in shipping + retail sales tax on the $400 retail for you to get the product at wholesale prices (50%).

You will NEVER make 50% of what you sell unless you don’t buy samples, give out books or give a gift with purchase. You have to deduct your expenses (even something simple like gas in your car) from your sales. There is always going to be some expense to be deducted from your 50% profit, no matter how frugal you are.

Best of luck to you! Why don’t you step into our forum, by clicking on the word forum at the top of the page in the tan toolbar and you will find a lot more information on the MK business opportunity.

I am a very strong minded woman and I have no problem telling someone NO..lol seriously ..and I love to debate things and can run someones brain in circles until they’re tired of thinking..For example if someone says to me “why don’t you come to the meeting on x day? It costs money but it’s tax deductible!” Then I would more than likely say “tax deductible doesn’t equal free and I don’t need unneccesary expenses cutting into my profits because catalogs are doing enough of that already.” I could care less if those ladies like me or not or call me or train me or want me to make stars whatever that is..I am most comfortable when I don’t have people calling me all the time and bugging me anyway..I may be 24 but I’m not a pushover

Not that people here are all pushovers..I do understand people were tricked, lied to, and made to feel bad for not ordering more for “inventory”..

When I sign up I am going to tell the lady I will not attend any meetings nor recruit anyone and if the product is as good as they say it is, people will wait until I place my order so I will not keep inventory.
I also plan on placing orders 2 times a month to keep the shipping costs down and charging the customer 1 or 2 dollars for shipping..

I read a post in the forum (thanks for suggesting I read it lipstick) that said a director nearly fainted when she heard someone was charging for shipping..I could care less if that bursts anyone’s bubble lol..I will also only use 10% of my profits to order catalogs and samples because I want to keep 40%..I know it’s a low number but a few years ago i sold Avon and every 2 weeks I only bought 10 brochures and I made it work because I had to lol..Thank God there isn’t new look books every 2 weeks..

This place has been really informative and glad I found it because now I know what people will resort to for a car or a pretty title and know to avoid them at all costs..I do believe people can make a decent part time income off of mary kay and I don’t believe I will get rich from it…ever…but I think I will have fun and meet new people and get a good discount on my stuff with some pocket money left over..I was just thinking..do I even have to make a 200.00 inventory order at all?? Can’t I just order the starter kit and have the 50%?

Emily, sorry it doesn’t work that way. You have to place a minimum $200 wholesale order to get 50% off, that gives you a 50% discount for any orders placed the remainder of that month and the next 2 months.

On the 4th month or wheneer you place your next order you will again have to place a minimum $200 wholesale order to get the 50% discount. It is just MK’s way of making sure you keep on ordering. Don’t order if you don’t have any need for the products or customers wanting to purchase.

Technically you can place 1 $200 wholesale order in a 12 month period and still remain an active consultant. Your 1st month of the year is the is the month you sign your contract.

Interesting read. Lipstick, I’m with you on this. You stated your position well.

If everyone who figures out the scams (MLMs) is a ‘lazy loser’, why is it that the vast majority of those ‘losers’ (at a 96% employment rate) are successful in their jobs? How is it that only a miniscule % of MK ‘bots make (claim) money? And yet, 100% of those who hold jobs get paid EVERY week/or bi-weekly/monthly? And they are paying for far more than GWP, and discounts. They are actually paying for rent/mortages, food, clothing, insurance, utilities, savings, etc.

I have yet to personally meet even just ONE MK ‘bot who actually truly supported her family on her MK earnings. Her husband is carrying that weight. How many ‘bots are hiding their expenses from hubby? Hiding product? Justifying yet another trip to La La Rally in Dallas? Let’s see a real schedule C, please. Let us also see your 1099 from MK. I want to compare your product purchases and expenses with your net earnings.

I sell mary kay and I do awesome I bought 3600 out of my pocket to start my bussiness and I put that back into my pocket plus put 3600 into my poct so you do make you 50% profit into your pocket I think it depends on the person that sells the product but also the products sell them sells as well. Beauty is what also sell if the person has beauty and knows how to talk to people that sells as well

Blessef, so you had no expenses like samples, books, gas, shipping to deduct from your 50% profit?

So let me see, if you have beauty and can talk you can sell MK? The product sells itself and you are the best speller I have seen in a long time! You really have everything!

If you bought $3600, sold it for $7200 and pocketed $3600, you must be out of product by now. If you still have product on yourshelves, then you didn’t make a 50% profit….don’t forget to do the math before you purchase more product.

I invite you into the forum, click on the word forum in the tan toolbar at the top of the page and read before you purchase any more product, you might find some helpful hints. Bsr of luck to you, really!

Starting to have second thoughts about mary kay..If I have to place a 200.00 order to make 50% once every 3 months it could screw me over if I haven’t already sold the stuff..they don’t count orders as “all together” so you have to do 200.00 in 1 order..oh man..I was really liking the idea of 50% of everything I sold…guess i’ll keep looking for something better.

Yes, it’s true Emily. You have to place a $200 wholesale order to get the 50% discount. And in order to stay active, you have to place such an order every 3 months, because you are only considered active for the month during which you place the order and the following two months.

And even so, you’re not going to be making 50%. Right off the bat, with that $200 order, you’ve just paid shipping on it. Now, if you claim that as a business expense, then it’s a loss. If you want to pass it on to your customers, then it’s an expense for them 🙂

omg I found this site and I have to say a couple of days ago I met with a MK lady and she gave me a paper to sign and she said for me to give her the 107.00 when I had it and she would go pick up my kit..Then when she was on the way out the door she said “it doesn’t matter how long you need to get the 107.00, what’s important is your social security number” and I was like what the hell?? that really stuck in my mind and reading here I believe she is going to order in my name if she hasn’t already..she had a mk car…I called her a few minutes ago and told her I wasn’t going to join because I wasnt going to have the money and she said she was busy and would call me back to help me figure it out..I was gonna ask her to bring me the paper with my ssn on it so she couldnt use it but I am afraid she already submitted it to help herself keep that stupid car!!! Help me, what do I do?? If she orders in my name I am responsible for those taxes and I don’t know what to do!!

Amanda, first contact your local consumer credit counseling office and ask them to check your credit report to see if there has been an applicatin for new credit and have them put a fraud alert on your information to protect you from identity theft!

Next Call 1-800-MARYKAY or 1-800 627-9529 and tell them that you met a SD, give them her name, address and phone number. Tell them she told you you didn’t have to have the money up fron and she said all she needed was your social security number.

Tell them you are afraid she has joined the company on your behalf and may have even taken out a credit card in your name to do so. Tell them in no uncertain terms that you want to kow if an appllication to join thecompany has ben filed in your name and if any orders have been placed. Then tell them you are going to contact the local law enforcement and tell them what happened. Then do it!

Never, never never give anyone your social security number. With your social security number, your name, address, phone number and date of birth they can open up a line of credit in your name, they can ruin your life!

I’m sorry about all these anti-MK websites sound like women who have just made bad business decisions. If you’re smart and cautious you can get away with making a bit of extra cash and having a good time meeting people. Stop blaming others for “being tricked” into spending so and so money. They’re sales people just as you want to be a salesperson; get real. Just have common sense and you’ll be fine. I’m a Mary Kay consultant right now and I don’t let anyone pressure me into buying inventory that I don’t need, let alone be enticed by stupid little gifts. I know why I got into Mary Kay, and it’s serving my purpose. I think you guys need to stop pointing fingers and just realize you’re someone who decided to get into something without doing your research first or being smart about it.

I signed up a couple of years ago…for personal use only. It has worked out pretty well. I make 1 to 2 ($200.00) orders a year. But, it is true that you should never buy product for which you have no customers or will use yourself. That is a recipe for disaster. Also keep in mind that if you buy for your own use, your true cost is no longer 50%. After all, you pay double the state tax as well as $8.50 for shipping. Think of it this way…you purchase $200.00 you pay 10% taxes on $400.00(the retail price) plus $8.50. This amounts to 200+40+8.50=248.50 that is 25% in S&H . You have only saved %25 on this purchase. Something to think about…..

I am thinking along the same lines as Emily… I joined MK about a week ago, and feel there was a bit of deception. I’ve attended three meetings thus far (1st as a guest), and they constantly repeat how you can start your own business for $100. That’s a half truth. And They do emphasize inventory after you sign up.
I joined on for the extra money. I told them this candidly during the pinning ceremony. A few extra hundred dollars a month and a flexible schedule sound good to me.
After going through the material offered from Mary Kay on what it takes to earn star status, a career car, etc, I am not enthused to set those as my goals. I am just in it for the money. I’m not one of those ruthless salespeople, but I am honest about my intentions and looking at it from the most practical standpoint.
I placed a $600 wholesale order ($718.85 after taxes and shipping and handling) last night for my initial inventory. Do I plan on ordering in bulk like this again just to have inventory? NO. I did it for the bonuses that I plan on selling (you get taxed on those “free” items, too!). I’m not going to be a fool with thousands of dollars worth of product just so I can get titles, etc. Recruiting people? Not for me ‘cuz I don’t see the true gain.
I thought having inventory would be great for my debut party n second event cuz the product would be readily available. If people want other products down the line, I will place those orders in a group. ( I like that twice a month idea!) … I have a red jacket consultant that’s really nice, but keeps talking about that inventory, stock-up jibber jabber… I order things online all the time.- if I can wait- as impatient as I can be at times- I’m sure there will be plenty of customers I can find who will be the same way. Charging for shipping is also a great idea. I’m here to make a profit.
and why do they keep telling people in my unit to project themselves as a walmart type of store?…The visual/”persuasive” argument is that big stores are always fully stocked with products. I’m not a store. I rather keep the products in the MK warehouse until a customer needs it.

** $713.85 for a $604 wholesale order… $114 bonus products and $113.50 bonus “look” that I am encouraged to keep for myself… well, the amount taxable is $1,444.25… If you dont sale all you inventory for the suggested retail amount, you are not making anywhere near that 50%…

Pretty in Pink, thanks for posting! You make some valid points that anyone considering MK as a career or has just signed up should be aware of. Those bonuses aren’t as good as the recruiter /SD makes them look…and if you order $600 in inventory before your debut, how do you even know what you need? Most of the time you don’t have what people want and then you have to place another order, which means you still have the initial investment on your shelves.
Ladies, don’t fall for the you have to have inventory to make sales spiel. And BTW Walmart has thousands of customers entering each store daily…you won’t have that kind of traffic in your MK store ever!

Emily – I am also researching MK to see if I want to do it. The reason is, I love the products. What I did was make a list of all the products I want to use and estimate how much I would use in a year. This is helping me figure out if the quota will work for me just based on personal use. I have figured out I would probably only use about $800 retail/$400 wholesale in a year. So I do need some sales to make up the difference.
One question I have is about being inactive. From what I understood, if I don’t do the $200 every 3 months, I would go inactive. I could be inactive for a month or two (finish using my personal use items or take time off) place another $200 order, I am active again. So it doesn’t sound like going inactive is all that bad…unless you are trying to have parties during that time frame.
can anyone shed light on this?

So it doesn’t sound like going inactive is all that bad…unless you are trying to have parties during that time frame. can anyone shed light on this?
Anna, being inactive simply means you have not placed an order within the past 3 months and therefore would have to place a minimum $200 wholesale ($400 retail) order to qualify for the 50% discount. The only way this hurts you is if you have recruits who are placing orders, as you cannot receive a “commission” on their wholesale orders unless you are in “active” status.
If you are inactive 4- 5 months or longer you will stop receiving the Applause magazine, but you can still read it online through the MK In Touch web site. If you go 12 months without placing an order you are considered terminated and in order to place an order you would have to resign with the company and sign a new contract. Most of the time $25 will get you reinstated under the “second chance” opportunity.
I hope this clarifies the topic for you.

Being inactive isn’t all that bad, no matter what they try to tell you. All you have to do is place a $200 order and you are active again.

I researched for 2 months before I decided to try to sell MK. My research involved websites like Pink Truth, Associated Content and The Fraud Files. I read the comments and stories and made a very informed decision to sell the product. Based on my experiences and overall opinion, it seems that the real money is in just being a consultant. This has been the key to my small success with MK. I started with $600 of initial inventory and by selling to women at work, show parties, and selling online, MK has more than supplemented my family income. However that is all it will ever be to me, a secondary income. My advice to everyone starting or thinking about starting MK is the following.

#1 RESEARCH everything. Go to websites like this one and especially Pink Truth and read what other women have experienced.

#2 TRY the product. MK is the only product that works on my overly sensitive face. That is one reason why it is so easy for me to be enthusiastic about selling it. If it works for you, you can market yourself as proof that the product works.

#2 BELIEVE in the product. If you think it is crap, then obviously you can’t sell crap.

#3 START SMALL. Don’t buy into the hype of “you must order thousands of inventory!” Think about who you know, where you work at, where you socialize at. If at all possible, ask your friends if they would honestly try MK. See what they would like to help you gauge exactly what to order.

#5 BE YOURSELF! Use your own script and words to sell. You don’t have to sound like a troll hyped up on pink koolaid to sell MK. Believe me I cringe more at “I’m just so excited to have this party and I’m counting on you to be there!” UGH… You don’t have to turn into some overdressed “kaybot” because it’s “the rule and expectation. If you are your own boss, you should set your own expectations. I’ve only wore a dress suit on occasions where my director is at. If I’m doing parties I’m wearing something nice, but definitely not a dress!

#6 The absolute key to my success is this…DO NOT BUY INTO THE HYPE OF MOVING UP! The way I run my business clashes with my director because she wants to see me “move up in MK”. I’m not that stupid. Why should I spend all my time trying to recruit my customers, and possibly further alienate them? Why should I order a bunch of inventory my customers never buy and rack up credit card debt, just so that director can have extra money in her pocket and get bumped up for some exotic vacay? And who is suffering and broke…you. That right there is where women have run into trouble.

I hope this helps those who are just getting started to make an informed decision.

You CAN start with only a $ 200 inventory – most SD & recruiters won’t tell you this b/c you won’t be considered “qualified” and you are worth more to them as a “qualified” recruit. Inventory is very tricky and if you are going in as a “PERSONAL USE CONSULTANT – PUC” do not buy inventory! Ask for some books from your recruiter and sell to your friends/family BEFORE you place your initial inventory order!

Pretty good article, Tam. But I’m afraid that it was probably written with the purpose of promoting the site it links to. Anyone writing an article about MK who only mentioned that site and not this one is suspicious to me.

You start with the $100 kit. Which comes with tons of benefits. To be active yes you do have to make a purchase $200 but NOT TO START! you can start doing parties and facials and selling the product before buying it. For example. You buy your start-up kit. They give you everything you need to know about doing complimentary facials and parties. You throw a party and then people order whatever they want and then pay you for the product. Of course you charge them for the retail price. THAN! with the money they pay you. You go to the site order the product with the money they paid you!!!!!! You will only need to use half that money (because of your 50% discount) and the rest can go into your account. So no…you don’t have to take $200 out of your own pocket or budget to start. Now it is easier to sell product when you previously buy it because women want products and they want it now but some women will still buy it if you don’t previously have it. This is by personal experience. Thank you

While its true that it only costs $100 to JOIN Mary Kay, once you have signed that agreement, it costs much more. And not just in dollars. — don’t for get there is tax and shipping on that $100 —
I am a full time grad student and I was looking for a way to make extra money, in addition to a part time job. No one can tell me (or wants to) how I can sell Mary Kay PART time. It was OK before I signed up, but after there was an insane push for this to become a new career. No thank you.
I thought I was smart enough to not be duped. I was wrong. My director did not tell me that $200 was an option. She told me that $600 was the minimum investment in inventory I “should” make, but pushed and pushed for a higher amount – telling me that it’s OK to get a loan and that it would be paid off in no time. This was AFTER I told her I was just laid off (therefore, unemployed and unable to get any kind of loan through a bank). I reminded her of this, to which she told me to use a credit card. Since those are close to their limit (due to textbooks and an upcoming wedding), she suggested I borrow from someone. Stupid me. I took part of my student loan money to fund this venture. She also neglected to mention, until AFTER she had my credit card number (because for some reason she HAD to place my first order) that she was going to add on a few marketing tools that would “be essential” — $200 worth — She called me several times to make sure I had ordered my business cards (another $50+ after tax/shipping) and signed up for my website ($25). Granted, you don’t NEED these, but she was great at convincing me that I did. And because I TRUSTED this woman, I took her advice.
After all this comes the time and emotional investment I made. AND the toll it has taken on my relationship with my fiance. The ridiculous meetings I was “required” to attend – because while you aren’t actually required to go, the Stepford Wives make it clear that you won’t succeed unless you do. These meetings ate into time I should have assigned to homework or time with my fiance.
I have not been able to make back, and probably won’t fully recover, the amount I “invested”. This is NOT because I am lazy. I am an extremely hard worker – there is a reason I got into an extremely competitive grad school. I am not a weak person that can’t stand up for herself. What I am is a woman who TRUSTED someone. Not a mistake I will make again and I will warn every other woman about.
So long story less long – TRUE it only costs $100 to JOIN.
And in my case and additional $875.79 after Director manipulation.

August, please click on the link above to get information on returning your inventory. You can return all of your section 1 items purchased in the past year to MK Inc for a 90% buy back, refund of the sales tax. That will at least help you recoup most of your money. Try having a 40% of sale first to offset some of your costs.
You can sell section 2 on this website to others who are still in MK.
You can’t recoup your time lost, but get what you can money wise and get that credit card debt monkey of your back! You’ll also find lots of support inside the Forum from those who have been where you are.
Lots of luck to you and good for you for getting out before you got nto more debt than you are in! (((HUGS)))

Hello Girls,I just want to say that it seems that everyone was taken by people who use people,not how M.K.works.If you start out small and work your way up,it can happen.I was successful in M.K. until the fire,don’t let people take advantage of you in anyway.People will take advantage of you if you let them,learn from your mistakes like I have.I feel sorry for all of you,its not fair for people to use you like that.You know what? My inventory had no insurance,that was stupid huh!I know everyone is against M.K. but it is not M.K.,it is people who give you a bad time.I stumbled on this site to let people know there is life after the ashes,my house fire,but it is so sad to hear all the stories how people have been taken advantage of.M.K. is helping people not using them and helping women make extra money for there family,I never started with a huge inventory to sell,that was to scary for me,but I have to say I have made a Lot of money even when I had no money. Sorry Girls,I Really Am! Lori Van R-Powerpink

Lorraine and Tracy, I respectfully disagree with your statements about unfortunate relationships through MK representatives, not Mary Kay in and of itself).
Since Mary Kay in and of itself restricts and controls every avenue of income and every way you can work your business and now have won a lawsuit against selling their product after a consultant has purchased and no longer is under consultant agreement, I believe MK Corp has a responsibility to monitor how these “representatives” represent MK Corp as they conduct business. If MK Corp spent half the time monitoring those still under contract and less time monitoring those not in contract, maybe the company as a whole wold have a better reputation and those who act in dishonest and misleading ways would no longer be “misrepresenting” and tarnishing the MK image.
IMO, I say truly if it doesn’t affect MK Corp income they really could care less how active representatives misrepresent or dishonestly entice others to buy huge amounts of inventory and whether representatives can “‘sell” the product.